Los Angeles

Western American Province

October 23rd, 2057

"Bloody 'ell. They got patrolling the entire damn city on our own?" Lawerence said to Dawar as they walked across the star-studded streets of Los Angeles. "I mean, I wouldn't mind having Jenkins or Niu coming along with us." He said as he looked at the device he and Dawar were issued.

"Probably because of the fact we're the only ones who encountered an Ars Goetia and lived to tell the tale."

"We survived that encounter specifically because we DIDN'T encounter him, at least not in person."

"Encountered, heard him, talked to him, same thing in my book. Besides, I was the one who saved us!"

"Ugh, here we bloody go…"

"If it weren't for my warnings against the Ars Goetia that made us leave the room- we would've been stuck with that blasted demon! God knows what would happen then!"

"I'm not sure you get to take credit for an unintended side effect of your actions," Lawrence said as they continued to walk through the streets. "By the way, I remember some group tried to show us that the sheds were "real" before this. I'm sure that they didn't get the memo, right?" He asked Dawar.

"You mean D.H.O.R.K.S?" Dawar responded. "Yeah, they were some conspiracy offshoot. Barely had any funding, though."

"No funding, my arse! Not only were they wannabe leakers, they cleared out an entire bloody British Museum's worth of swords!" Lawernce said in disdain. "God knows how long we've been trying to get them all back!" He further said. "Every one of them suits can go straight to-!" Lawrence further ranted before he started hearing a faint Geiger counter-eaque clicking on his device.

"Hold on a second. I'm getting something."

"Wait- really? From where?" Dawar asked.

"Don't know, but we're close! Come on; we don't have that much time!" Lawrence said as he raced past the crowd- only for Dawar to try to keep up.

"Headquarters! This team Lima-Delta- we have something on our counters. Moving to intercept!" Dawar said into his Radio as he tried his best to follow Dawar through the crowds of Tourists and Locals.

"Come on, Dawar! We can't let them get away this time!" He said, rushing past by a packed movie theater- where Lawernce passed a poster with an orange cat wielding a sword and wearing large boots, not without taking a quick glance at it.

"Ha, love that mov-!"

"Pay attention, you dedebi!" Dawar said, catching up to him and grabbing him by the collar.

Lawrence choked as he got Dawar off of his collar. "I'm going- I'm going!" He yelled as he began to keep up with his partner.

The duo continued to run past the crowds of people as they followed the clicks of the demonic detector- even past a group of Christian protestors saying that demons were among them. This especially caught the attention of the agents, even as they were running.

"Dammit! How the hell did they find out?!" Lawerance said, looking back at the protestors.

"Well, the demons throwing a dead child on her crying mother on national TV didn't exactly help!" Dawar responded, continuing to rush past pedestrians. Suddenly, the clicks began to intensify- pointing toward an alleyway.

"Here!" Lawrence called out, with the agents darting into the alleyway. What they saw brought them back to that night three weeks ago.

The thing looked like some weird anthropomorphic owl, not unlike footage of Stolas that was picked up on cameras at the base three weeks ago. Her eyes glowed pink, and feathers protruded from her body. A peak poked out from her face. Honestly, it was astonishing she wasn't noticed by civvies by now; they must have thought it was some elaborate costume for some convention somewhere. However, the agents knew exactly what they were looking at, a demon, and likely an Ars Goetia from the looks of it. They were in very real danger.

"Oh… my… god." Lawrence could only mutter out as he put away his demonic tracker on his side with his shaking hand.

"My god, Lawrence, you know what that-"

"It's one of them," Lawrence said as he began to tremble- going for his walkie-talkie.

"Stay on your toes! You damn well know what they can do!" Dawar called out.

"I don't know, mate! This one looks different."

"They could be green and have three arms for all I care! Did you see what Stolas did to the doc?!"

"Wait- Stolas? What did my dad do?"

"Your dad…!?" Lawrence cried out. "Oooh shit…" He said as he rubbed his fingers below his eyes.

"Lawrence… you know what this means? When Stolas finds-"

"I know what this means, dammit!" Lawrence huffed out in stress as he went for his walkie-talkie. "This Lima-Delta team. We have a non-hostile class owl shed! We need immediate support north of the Chinese theater ASAP!"

"That's enough, gentleman." A foreboding voice from behind the agents boomed out like an orator. "I'll take this from here."

The one that stood before this was a mountain of a man wearing a black overcoat. The hat he wore cast shadows over his eyes, leaving only a grin visible. He had curly hair coming down the sides of his head.

"Official government business, sir; I highly suggest you clear out," Lawrence said, presenting his badge.

"Pfft, cute," the figure said, reaching into his overcoat. Dawar and Lawrence readied their weapons with caution.

The man noticed and just shook his head and tsking. "Relax, ya schmegegge," the man said, pulling out his own badge to the shock of the agents. "Mines bigger," the man chuckled. The badge was a 'Terra's Right Hand' indicator, one of the things they went over in training. He was told he would probably never see anyone who had one, as no one on the record had ever received one. It essentially makes you outrank everyone save the chancellor himself.

"What the..?" Dawar straightened himself; he knew the protocol. He brought up an authentication scanner to make sure it wasn't fake, and to his surprise, the scanner came back positive. The badge was legit. "Holy shit…!"

"Yea yea yea, 'why haven't you seen someone with a badge like this before', 'who on earth is the guy who just so happens to have the 'I outrank everyone badge'', frankly you wouldn't believe me if I said it, nor are you privy to that information."

The man walked towards the demon, who seemed to be shrinking and cowering the closer he got. Until she broke and ran as fast as the book she was carrying would allow her.

"Welp, there she goes… I'll go get her… here, for your troubles"

The man threw a bagel to Dawar and Lawrence each, who caught them. When they looked back up, the man was gone, without a trace.

"Who the hell was that?! Where the hell did he even pull those bagels out of?" Lawrence said in confusion, looking at the bagels as if they were going to explode in his hands.

"Lawrence, he literally disappeared in the fraction of a second we weren't looking, and the bagels are your concern."

Lawrence shrugged, and Dawar sighed, putting his hand across his face. "Wanna watch that new Puss in Boots movie later? I just need to get my mind off this."

Dawar's face palmed, sighing. "You're never going to grow up, Lawrence."

Octavia was running like she never had before; whoever that man was, the air of unease his presence produced was unbearable. It wasn't mere fear of one bigger than her; it felt like his whole existence was designed to oppose her. She looked behind her; no one seemed to be pursuing her; she felt safe to slow down, her breathing heavy. She moved to a wall to lean again, she was tired, and she was lost, and she had absolutely no idea where she was.

"Can this day get any worse?" She asked herself bitterly.

"That depends entirely on you," a voice next to her said, causing her to jump. The man was leaning against the wall.

Octavia bolted in the opposite direction, only to slam into something. She fell on her rear. "Sorry! Sorry!" Octavia said as she tried getting up.

"No problem," The same voice from before said. Octavia's eyes widened as she looked up at the man. She looked back to the building she was leaning against, and back to the man.

"Where did you come from? Who are you-"

"Shhh," the man said, raising a finger to his lip. The words in Octavia's mouth caught. It just didn't feel…. Right? To say anything more. The man offered a black-gloved hand.

Octavia stared at the man's hand for a few moments in distrust before scrambling to her feat herself. The man lowered his hand.

"Have to say, little girl, you didn't pick the best time to be galavanting up to Earth"

"It's not like I could reschedule," The owl demon muttered sadly, eyes shifting to the ground.

"For what?" The man asked gently.

Octavia raised her glowing pink eyes to meet the man's eyes; strangely, shadows didn't seem to cover them anymore. "Why would you care!" Octavia said accusingly, pointing a finger at the man's chest.

"Other than that, you're trespassing?" the man said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh…." Octavia's hand fell to her side.

"S-sorry, I'll… I'll go find somewhere else to stargaze-"

"That's not what I mean, little girl; the whole planet's on lockdown"

"WHAT?! B-but, why!? I-" Octavia was at a loss for words; her luck couldn't be this bad, 'why would the whole overworld be off limits?!' she thought to herself, on today of all days as well.

"News really doesn't flow fast to hell, huh… The Chancellor just got a bit tired of assassinations against government officials. The anti-demon purge has been in effect for the last few months. Although something doesn't tell me you're a terrorist, are you Octavia?"

Octavia took a step back. "How do you know my name!?"

"You'd be surprised; I know a lot of things; your dad has been on the world's most wanted list ever since his attack on a Terran government facility. It certainly didn't help that he killed several dozen officers." The man made a motion with his hand. "Come on; I feel it would be less stressful for you if we were to take a walk."

The man nudged Octavia forward, and soon they were both at a steady pace down the sidewalk. People were everywhere, but none seemed to pay any heed to them or even acknowledge them. The man seemed to notice her confusion.

"They can't perceive us, thought it prudent that no one sees a demon out in the open" This confirmed to Octavia that the man must know some sort of magic. But how powerful he is was still a mystery.

"Good ol LA air ay? I hear it will only maybe give you cancer now, a sure improvement," The man said jokingly. Octavia swallowed "Yea, yea"

"Not much one for jokes right now I suppose" The man sighed "So tell me Octavia, what makes this day different from all other days?" Octavia looked up at him in confusion.

"Oy gevalt… I mean why could you only come today?"

"Oh…. that" Octavia said, her head lowering. "Well, you see, my father… promised to take me to 'see the stars' today. But… It's like he doesn't even remember."

"Yea, Stolas never struck me as a considerate being, that along with the divorce, him forgetting was just par for the course"

"OK, no!" Octavia stopped dead in her tracks "Who are you!? What are you?! How could you possibly know these things about me and my life?! You're a human, you shouldn't even know a thing about what goes on in hell, much less my personal life!" Octavia screamed, but quickly covered her mouth, her head shooting left to right analyzing the crowd.

"When I said they can't perceive us, I meant it. Yell all you want, if you so please, they can't hear you, no one but me can".

"Is that… reassurance or a threat?" Octavia asked, taking a step back.

"As said before, that's entirely up to you"

"Oh…"

"Don't worry, I'm not offended, I'm sure everything going on is emotional for you; after all, I doubt you would steal this out with a clear mind," The man said, holding up the Grimoire

Octavia looked at her hands and realized she was carrying a different book, the weight in her arms suddenly decreased rapidly, as if it was waiting for her to notice. Octavia let out a sigh.

"Another one of your magic tricks, huh?" She wasn't surprised by this anymore.

"I have an assortment," He said, smiling cheekily.

"Very funny, now could you give it back?"

"Well, I could, although considering it's illegal for you to be here, and this book was declared a vital acquisition by the government… ehh… hands are tied, little birdie."

"Then how am I supposed to go home?!" Octavia yelled.

"Birdie, what part of it being illegal for you to be here didn't you get? As much as I try to be friendly, you're under arrest."

Octavia opened her mouth as if to voice opposition, but no sound came, instead her head lowered and took a deep breath. "Can I… at least make a request, before you lock me up?" Octavia's voice quivered slightly.

"I don't see why not."

"Could I… could I see the stars?.. I mean… the tears of Azathoth, the-"

"Condensed dreams of all those that never came to be?" The man finished her sentence.

"Yes, I… I was supposed to see them with my dad today and… well… you already know what's going on now"

"I do… I know a good spot; want me to take you there?"

"I'd... I'd like that," Octavia said, nodding.

The man lifted a gloved hand, and somehow snapped his fingers. Of all the impossible things the mysterious stranger did, this was the least of it, Octavia thought to herself.

Sparks of energy started to fly out of thin air, as a blue 'crack' seemed to appear in the air and widen itself. It was like a slab of reality had been forced open. Octavia couldn't quite perceive the other side of it, it was like a filter that distorted whatever was on the other side.

"After you," The man said, a hand stretched towards the crack.

Octavia walked past him, took a deep breath, and walked through the crack, disappearing into it.

"OCTAVIA!" A voice called out "Where are you my owlette!"

The man glanced behind him, seeing a tall 'man' come around the corner. But he saw through the Demon Prince's disguise. And the Demon Prince's, after all, a simple ward to conceal from the layman was insufficient for a demon prince. Stolas and the Man locked eyes.

"You!" Stolas yelled, the people around him ignoring him, the hustle and bustle of the city concealing his seemingly strange behavior to the locals.

"What did you do with my daughter!?" Stolas yelled again.

The Man turned around and walked towards the crack.

"Don't you DARE ignore me, wanderer!" Stolas yelled, running towards the man as fast as he could.

The Man disappeared through the crack, with Stolas trying to jump in after him. However, the crack rapidly sealed itself, causing the Goetia to fall flat on his face into the concrete. "NO NO NO!" Stolas yelled, the people of LA walking around him, just another joe schmo having a mental breakdown.

Captain Johnathan Antonio Krasnodębski gripped his joystick as he flew over the remains of what was once the Russian far east in his United Aerospace Corporation F-15EX Eagle II. Much of Russia wasn't treated kindly in the Third World War- especially the coastlines. Once the Sino-Soviets had realized that America had perfected the Strategic Defense Initiative, they panicked and started hostilities out of fear of what it would mean if their greatest weapons were rendered unusable against the old Giant of Liberty.

After much of their missiles failed to hit the American heartlands, economic and population zones, and other allied positions- there wasn't they could do other than drink a bottle of Vodka and baijiu and wait for the nukes to fall. The ensuing nuclear curb stomp that transpired afterward killed much of the upper Soviet Government, erased its cities from existence, and destroyed much of the interior's infrastructure.

It's been close to eighty-five years since the nukes fell onto The Greater Soviet State- and from the looks of the ground, it was as if the radiation never cleared. For eighty-five years- the remains of Russia and China have devolved into a Nuclear Anarchy whose brutality would rival even the most brutal stories of societal collapse in the fictions made throughout the ages. Countless groups, from the Volga to the Gobi Desert, partook in the age-old tradition of killing each other for power over the desolate wastelands.

And for John, he was getting a court-side seat to the carnage.

Today's mission was a common one- ground support to Terran Shock Troops as they attacked a Soviet Far Eastern Command fort north of Terran-controlled Vladivostok. They had no interest in taking the fort- not wanting to overextend itself to the point where it already was. It was more a statement- SFEC to stay out of the Republic's jurisdictions and borders.

But for John, it was just another Tuesday afternoon.

John was the only one in the air, but with enough AGMs to make up for that. His F-15EX was equipped with AGM-88 HARMs, GBU-12 Paveway IIs, and some trusty AIM-9 Sidewinders if the SFEC were able to get any planes up in the air. And if any eastern rust box somehow dodges that? He would introduce them to an old friend named M61 Vulcan.

"Hussar One," The Radio said in John's helmet. "This is AWACS Five Eyes- you're clear for ground support. Targets should show up on your IFF." The cold voice spoke out, with the visor of John's helmet lighting up to show the red-spotted targets.

"Roger Dodger, Five Eyes. Master Arm on." The Young aviator said, flicking the switch that would allow him to release and fire his missiles. Soon, he would see his first target across the large snow-white plains on his radar- a lone rusty tank that was on the route to the fort.

Placing his finger onto the trigger of his joystick- he pressed down on it. "Fox Three!" He called out as an AGM-88 left the hardpoint on his left wing- rocketing forward with gray smoke trailing behind it. After a few seconds, John would see a distant and faint explosion- signifying that his missile had found it's target.

"Splash one bandit!" John said through the radio.

John shifted his joystick to begin his approach to the fort, GBU-12's locks at the ready- about to blow this fort to kingdom come. With the whirring sound of his laser guided bombs locking onto the target- it only gave John one option. One that he would take in stride.

"I have a lock, Bombs away!" He said, releasing the five hundred pound bombs from his jet's hard points. He could feel the weight on his jet be released as he saw the black spots drift from his plane and down back to earth. There wasn't much the fort could do. The Soviet Soldiers ran around the base in panic, many trying to duck and cover as the bombs came ever closer. The power of the explosions ensured that any cover would have been in vain. The fort exploded in a fiery explosion as rubble ripped through the plains- scattering buildings and steel alike as the Siberian plains were met with orange fire.

There was a pause in the voice of the AWACS as much of the radar went silent. "Uh… mission complete Hussar One, RTB. I'll make sure to let the ground people know that they don't have much work ahead of them."

"Copy that Five Eyes, returning to base" John said, it was practically and automatic response at this point.

The flight home wasn't too eventful. There were sights that he had seen far too many times already. He had been stationed here for close to six months now, but it seemed like six years to him. His mission today was the same thing he had done in those six months: Get up, bomb them, get down. Rinse and repeat and sprinkle in some one sided air to air engagements every now and then, and that was basically his life.

However, something knawed deep inside of him- hungering for a real engagement. Was it wrong for him to miss the harrowing dogfights over China and Africa- where he didn't meet decades old rust buckets in the air? Did he miss the feeling on being on the edge against worthy opponents? Maybe he did, or maybe he welcomed the peacefulness of this region- a break from his past assignments. He didn't know which side to believe- if anything he ignored both of them, just wanting to get back to his barracks and watch some movies in peace.

Soon, the city of Vladivostok came into view- and it was just the same the last dozen times he had seen it. Taken by Terran Japanense forces after the Third World War- the port city had taken a widly different appearance to it's former. It had become a hog posh of Russian, Japanese, and Western American cultures. A true pacific city if you will.

The thing John would see not so after was the gray paved runaway of Kohler Air Force base- his home for the past half a year. He would be on the ground not so long after, smoke coming from his wheels as he made contact with the pavement.

Half an hour later and several checks on his plane's systems- John stepped down the letter of his F-15EX- safely underneath the hanger. As he stepped down onto the the floor itself- he was greeted not by the usual airmen, but rather one of his senior officers- a tall red haired man with a navy suit.

"Something wrong sir?" John asked, taking off his helmet to reveal his straight hazel hair and beige skin.

"The Commander wants you ASAP. You're being redeployed. He'll inform you where you're going."

Finally! John thought. Some Action! It was about time he had to get out this snowy hellscape.

"Aye Sir," John said, saluting the officer before leaving.

As John walked through the cold airbase, his mind couldn't help but wander to where he would be stationed next. Would it be St Petersburg, defending against the main attacks of Russian revivalists? Could it be Afganistan? He heard of increased violence since some group nearly killed the governor. Whether the case was- he just wished where he was going had at least something to do up in the air. I mean, where else would they send him?

"You're being deployed to the Western American Province, Los Angeles." Commander Hiroaki said behind his desk, as John stood in front of him.

"What?" John said in confusion- almost like the Commander had told him a joke.

"As a part of the civic service- you'll be tasked with protection of high value persons."

John couldn't believe what he was hearing- he was being deployed to America?! Who would he fight- cartels?

"What's there to do in America? There hasn't been any fighting there!" John protested.

"For whatever reason, the brass in Washington has been freaking out over something, every official of even somewhat importance is up to their neck in body guards. Probably a reaction to that governor in Afghanistan, damn pencil pushers are all paranoid." He said, pushing some files around his desk. "You'll probably be back in no time. Just be there in order to give peace of mind to them."

John sighed "Yes sir, i'll gather my things."

"Good man, I'll probably see you back here in a few months after their done checking under their beds for taliban." Hiroaki chuckled, "Anyway, your flight's scheduled a week from today, I'd suggest getting your things together in the meantime."

"Yes sir!" John said saluting, before walking out of the room, he only hoped Bureaucratic paranoia didn't last too long.